Does Benjamin Mendy play football? Benjamin Mendy will make his return to football with Ligue 1 side Lorient after he was cleared of raping a young woman and trying to rape another. Mendy will resume his playing career after a two-year hiatus from footballCredit: Getty The 2018 World Cup winner has signed a two-year deal with Lorient and returns to French football for the first time since leaving Monaco to join City in 2017. The 28-year-old was cleared of six counts of rape and one of sexual assault in his original trial at the start of the year. However, Jurors at the time could not reach verdicts on one count of rape and one of attempted rape. After learning of his acquittal, Mendy put his head on his knees and wiped away tears at Chester Crown Court. Mendy’s lawyer Jenny Wiltshire gave a statement on behalf of her client, who pledged to ‘rebuild his life’. She said: “Benjamin Mendy would like to thank the members of the jury for focusing on the evidence in this trial, rather than on the rumour and innuendo that have followed this case from the outset. “This is the second time that Mr. Mendy has been tried and found not guilty by a jury. “He is delighted that both juries reached the correct verdicts.